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LeftyJ

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Everything posted by LeftyJ

  1. LeftyJ
    I already have one of mine: 1983 Ibanez MC924, the serial number pinpoints it to December 1983. I was born in November (I'm turning 40 tomorrow) so it's very close! It's the one on the left in the pic below, I have since sold the 1981 MC924 on the right and kept my favourite: the 1983 has a thinner and narrower neck, more ergonomically sculpted body, lighter weight, and I favour the PJ pickup combo over the soapbars in the 1981. It also has more logical controls, with a pan pot instead of a 3-way switch.
  2. LeftyJ
    Those upside-down pictures though And that headstock design. And that price!
  3. LeftyJ
    Not custom, "just" the stock plexi pickguard that has become a trademark of Atelier Z, but I love it! I've really come to love this bass, and shortscale in general. It's been my go-to for noodling at home ever since I received it almost two years ago. The quality, fit and finish are top notch and I enjoy the narrower string spacing of 16.5 mm at the bridge. There's only one thing I would have liked differently about it, and that's the EQ being boost-only. A passive tone control or treble boost/cut would have been nice!
  4. LeftyJ
    That's actually a step down, the T-bird has a 9-ply neck But in terms of ergonomics and luxury appeal you're absolutely right!
  5. LeftyJ
    Gibson Thunderbird
  6. LeftyJ
    Les Paul wiring is known to "couple" the volume controls together, where they both affect eachother and the overall volume with the pickup selector set to the middle position. If you want true independent volume and tone controls, there is a workaround to it but it will affect the treble response of the bass: https://www.premierguitar.com/diy/mod-garage/les-paul-independent-volume-wiring
  7. LeftyJ
    I don't think the Tonestyler is a preamp, it's "just" a passive varitone control with a different capacitor on each setting of the rotary switch, for a different style of treble cutoff that changes the character of your instrument - and a neutral setting, of course. It replaces your regular tone control. They're awesome, and offer some very useful sounds. If you want an active onboard EQ, the P-Retro seems like the way to go. You maintain your volume and your regular passive tone, they're just combined in one stacked pot. Rather than a regular two- or three-band EQ it adds two filter modes with a variable frequency control: the top knob gives a mid boost when turned in one direction, or a combined bass/treble boost in the other direction. The bottom knob sets the frequency spectrum. Seems very useful and intuitive to use.
  8. LeftyJ
    In my rehearsal space: EBS HD350 through an EBS Proline 410. Although the HD350 sounds great, I use an Ampeg SVP-PRO tube preamp into the FX return of the EBS. I could replace the head with a nice power amp, but can't be bothered. I like the EBS, and for gigs I rarely need to bring an amp and just carry a small rack with the preamp and a Korg DTR-1000. At home I play through an EBS NeoDrome 12 (that I also bring to small livingroom rehearsals or as a personal bass monitor at gigs when I don't need to bring the big one) which I absolutely love. I got it at a steal, and it sounds fantastic at any volume. Like most EBS combo's it doesn't have an external speaker output and all 150 watts go to the internal speaker at 4 Ohms - and it can get deceptively loud. Aside from the Ampeg SVP-PRO I also have an SVP-CL and an SWR Grand Prix tube preamp - but they haven't been used for several years. I bought the SWR as my "silent rig" for home use, to plug straight into my USB mixer to practice along to music on my computer, but it's been sitting in a rack in my rehearsal space in neglect along with the SVP-CL.
  9. LeftyJ
    Darkglass B7K Ultra. Done. I have the regular single-pedal B7K currently, and it's all I use really. I play in a melodic doom metal band with a fairly modern sound, so none of the sludge and oldschool doom tones but a supertight graphite-necked Status S2 Classic through an Ampeg tube preamp. A modern sounding drive pedal with a good EQ is all I need.
  10. LeftyJ
    I didn't care for the passive tone of mine (dark and muffled IMO) but loved it in active mode! There are versions around that have a D-tuner on the bridge to drop the E-string down to D at the flick of a lever.
  11. LeftyJ
    That was an attempt to get rid of excess stock of Fender Electric XII (12-string) parts. In a similar way, Fender also briefly offered the Swinger guitar, that was built around a reshaped Bass V body, which wasn't exactly succesful either. Both of these models were only available in 1969 and just a few hundred were made. The Swinger has an odd 22.5" scale, even shorter than the Mustang and Jaguar (24"). Fender Japan built some reissues of it, and a guy called Daiki Tsuneta even had a signature model based on it.
  12. LeftyJ
    Ha, I stand corrected then! Thanks for the heads up.
  13. LeftyJ
    I believe that was the limited edition '76 nitro finish reissue, that was released alongside two nitro finish guitar models. Which is funny, because I don't think Music Man ever used nitro finishes when they started in the 70s. So like the Stingray Classic, it's a "reissue" of a bass that never existed, despite the otherwise historically correct featureset.
  14. LeftyJ
    The big F already has a guitar by that name (and reissued it in the Parallel Universe series, so it's still alive and kicking) so that might lead to some copyright claims
  15. LeftyJ
    I'm not a fan of their flat top option, I much prefer the "regular" shape with rounded edges. However, this finish makes it work.
  16. LeftyJ

    5-String Advice

    LeftyJ replied to jay42's topic in Bass Guitars

    I don't know about the BTB, but the two Yamaha TRB5II's I owned were 19mm at the bridge. Their 35" scale won't be for everyone, but I loved them.
  17. LeftyJ
    ...unless we're talking double basses
  18. LeftyJ
    Or a shortscale SBV
  19. LeftyJ
    Does it need to be a pedal? The range of options would vastly increase if you'd include 19" preamps. There's a host of great tube preamps out there, some of which can be had used for little money, and most (if not all) have a balanced XLR out. Ampeg SVP-CL (the preamp section of the SVT Classic in a 1HE rack space); Ampeg SVP-PRO or SVT-PII (the preamp section of the SVT2Pro and SVT II respectively); Trace Elliot V-type; H&K Fortress; SWR Grand Prix; SWR Interstellar Overdrive (harder to find, but splendid); and several others that aren't quite as affordable but can be found cheaply with some luck, by Demeter, Reussenzehn, Alembic, Aguilar. I've got the Ampeg SVP-CL, SVP-PRO (paid €400 each, used) and the SWR Grand Prix (paid just €125 used because of a crackling push-pull pot with a defective switch - that was an easy fix by taking the switch apart and reassembling it).
  20. LeftyJ
    I have always had a strong tendency to tamper with the guitars I've owned. Additional switching options, upgrading the pots and switches, experimenting with various capacitors on the tone control, graphite nuts and string retainers, swapping pickups, and all have had strap locks added. Somehow on my basses though, I barely touch anything. I have one exception (Fender MIJ 70s Jazz Bass reissue) that was originally passive but went through two different preamps, had its stock bridge swapped for a Badass II and its tuners swapped for Hipshots and a D-tuner but otherwise I've kept things limited to just strap locks.
  21. LeftyJ
    My previous band used to do this, but not for the reason you state. We played pop metal with female vocals, and our album prominently featured a lot of synths and a Hammond organ - but we didn't play with a live keyboardist, so we had a backing track with all the keys and some backing vocals. We rehearsed either with a clicktrack (which only our drummer would hear through his headphones) or to the drum tracks from our album recordings if our drummer couldn't make it to our rehearsals. We sounded tight as f*ck! We often played live with in-ear monitoring, and would have the click track in all our personal mixes (which added a funny bonus: we replaced our drummer's count off with four clicks up front on our in-ears, so we would all start our songs perfectly in sync and our audience would have no idea how we did it).
  22. LeftyJ
    Wow, killer deal. I'm not keen on having to pay import charges and 21% Dutch VAT over that amount, or I would be seriously tempted. That neck alone is droolworthy!
  23. LeftyJ
    My last remaining Ibanez is just one month younger than me, so pretty close to turning 40 (December 1983). I consider it vintage, but I'm not quite ready to be called that myself
  24. LeftyJ
    I saw one of Lukasz' creations on eBay just last week, a lefty in matte black with an MM pickup. The design isn't for me (strong Ritter vibes, but less elegant), but they do look well-made and well-designed. Enjoy!
  25. LeftyJ
    Ouch, that 3+1 headstock does not look good IMO. I was expecting it to look more like the headstock on their Fender guitar replacement neck.
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